Devil Rays trade:
OF Billy Pelaez (4.5 stars, $8,828,571)
$2,337,228 cash
Total: $6,491,343
Rockies trade:
1B/3B Ralph Earls (4.0 prospect stars, MLC)
Total: $0
I'm prepared to catch some heat for this deal, so here's my explanation.
Pelaez is a very talented and unique player, sure, and young. But there is no point in me keeping him when he's making nearly $9 mil and hitting .127. This isn't a straight salary dump because Earls is a decent player. But I can't afford to keep bringing back a guy who's going to hit 8th vs LHP at $9 mil. Colorado can afford him and he'll hit 50 HRs in Coors if he plays full-time. So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.